NMI becomes TechWorks to reflect changing industry and international landscape

Press Release (ePRNews.com) - LONDON - May 10, 2017 - The NMI (“National Microelectronics Institute”) is re-launching as TechWorks, a new umbrella organisation formed in response to the evolving technology trends and the changing face of international industry, in order to promote the vital role of the UK in a world critically dependent on Electronic Systems.

TechWorks is formed by an exciting group of companies and leading industry figures, building a new type of industry association focused on Deep Tech* and moving far beyond traditional industry silos. Techworks’ focus is to build a better and stronger tech ecosystem in the UK, helping to connect brilliant ideas with partnerships and investments that accelerate speed and enhance routes to market and profitability.

TechWorks will develop as an umbrella over self-directing bodies with specific segment focus, building on the successful example of the IoT Security Foundation (IoTSF) and Automotive Electronic Systems Innovation Network (AESIN) as well as the long-standing NMI Design and Manufacturing communities.

Key to TechWorks is a board consisting of some of the most successful technology business leaders in the UK.

Chair: Sir Hossein Yassaie

Chief Executive: Dr Derek Boyd

Board Members:

Hermann Hauser – Amadeus Capital

Simon Segars – ARM

Tim Luke – Barclays Capital

Stan Boland – Five.AI

Mike Risman – Vitruvian Partners

Luke Ibbetson – Vodafone Group R&D

Says Sir Hossein Yassaie, chairman TechWorks: “With Brexit looming we must promote the needs of the UK technology community or face a ‘Techxit’ that hampers our ability to start and scale business and retain our important position as a strong node in the global tech eco-system. The UK does incredibly well at producing new and inspirational technology that changes the world but could do much better at building companies of scale and larger economic benefit. TechWorks as an organisation is single-mindedly focused on this challenge.”

Through its role in the ESCO Report, NMI enabled a dialogue with government that informed notable decisions such as the safeguarding of key R&D funding. Alongside ElecTech, a new organisation formed from the partners behind the ESCO report, TechWorks will ensure government is aware of the priorities of a vibrant industry sector.

Says Stan Boland, CEO, Five.AI: “This re-launch under the new TechWorks brand has fundamental reasons. The nature of collaboration now extends beyond all traditional industry silos as technology transforms every segment.  Our strategy to develop a series of ‘Connected Communities’ has been developing great resonance with industry and membership of the organisation has grown rapidly as a result.  The time has come to respond to that change with a new structure and more aggressive strategy.”

TechWorks will continue to provide the best-practice and peer-group sharing NMI has always been recognised for whilst extending the scope of the organisation to take into account that everything is now becoming smart and connected.

The NMI’s work and brand will continue to flourish within the TechWorks structure with the organisation retaining its traditional and highly-valued work on electronic systems design and manufacturing.  Two of the key ‘Connected Communities’ under the Techworks umbrella will now be NMI Electronic Systems Design and NMI Electronic Systems Manufacturing. Additionally, Techworks will also now include Automotive Electronic Systems Innovation Network (AESIN), IoT Security Foundation (IoTSF) and Power ElectronicsUK with further communities to develop in such areas as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML).

TechWorks will launch building on the 300+ NMI member companies and leading academic institutions.

Supporting quotes:

Says Hermann Hauser, co-founder, Amadeus Capital: “The UK does well at innovating in technology but badly at exploiting that innovation to create high value businesses. TechWorks is much needed and we are pleased to see the quality of its board and the ambition of its strategy.”

Says Simon Segars, CEO, ARM: “The rise of new technology applications such as AI and IoT will create a wave of opportunity in both IP and application. With a strong track record of meaningful engineering innovation, the UK is well positioned to benefit, and an umbrella organisation like Techworks will create the progressive framework needed for the technology industry to focus its intentions and plan a unified strategy.”

Says Tim Luke, Vice-Charmain – Technology, Media & Telecom Group, Barclays: “When I was in the number 10 Policy Team, we worked tirelessly to help build the UK’s reputation on a global scale and to ensure we were building the right business climate.  I have long been under the impression that a new type of organisation was needed to develop a focus on helping UK companies start-up and scale to a greater extent than is achieved today.”

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Note to Editors:

*We define Deep Tech as technology that is based on tangible engineering innovation or scientific advances and discoveries. Deep Tech is often set apart by its profound enabling power, the differentiation it can create, and its potential to catalyse change. Deep Tech companies often possess fundamental and defensible engineering innovations that distinguish them from those companies that are focused on the incremental refinement or delivery of standardised technologies or only use business model innovation to create opportunities. Deep Tech can span across many technological areas and can impact diverse applications.  On the technological front, these can include processing and computing architecture innovations, advances in semiconductors and electronic systems, power electronics, vision and speech algorithms and techniques, artificial intelligence and machine learning, haptics and more. Deep Tech is having profound impact on segments including autonomous systems, robotics, smart home/cities, medical devices, clean tech, energy efficiency and many more developing or emerging application areas.